Nice To See You Again
"Nice To See You Again" is a BOTGD 2 thread written on June 23, 2019. Summary Full Text Part 1 Akkey Black: 'The doors of the Great Hall groaned as Akkey pushed them open, grunting slightly. ''Damn heavy things. ''She scanned the area and spotted Grey near the front, looking very serious. She pulled at Fiendal’s arm and walked briskly to her, grinning, “Hey!” '''Grey Bergman: '''The Chief looked up from the reports she was looking at and saw her friend Akkey and… “Hey, good morning!” Grey said excited with a huge smile on her face. “And hello, Fiendal! It’s good to see you again!” '''Fiendal: '“Hello grey!” he raised his arm up in greeting, giving her a smile. “It’s good to see you too! How have things been going here!” he looked around at the Hall, it felt familiar and yet different. But he knew he was happy to see an old friend. 'Akkey Black: '''Akkey raised her eyebrows in surprise, eyes shifting between the two, “How’d you recognize him? I sure as Hel didn’t.” '''Grey Bergman: '“Well…I mean…I spoke to him after the first rebellion,” Grey said eying the 42-year-old in front of her, “when…he came back from the dead. You don’t exactly forget something like that.” 'Fiendal: '''Fiendal chuckled a little “That’s right, you did!” he smiled as he remembered how they had spoken. In his mind he wandered, ''does she know? ''He though for a second “I remember we spoke but not what entirely about” he admitted. '''Akkey Black: '“Hmmmm…” Akkey mused. I don’t think she knows about the whole demon, young Fiendal situation. ''She glanced at Fiendal, wondering if he’d bring it up. '''Grey Bergman: '“What is it, Akkey?” Grey asked her former comrade as she leaned back against the table. “You look like you’re deep in thought.” 'Fiendal: '''Fiendal glanced back at Akkey and gave a small shrug. He wanted to ask grey, but not be too direct about it in case it worried her. '''Akkey Black: '“Ah, it’s nothing,” Akkey took a seat beside Grey nonchalantly, “I just thought I’d show you Fiendal was back. What’s happening now? Any developments on any fronts?” 'Grey Bergman: '“Well, we’re still in the process of gathering intel on Castaway,” the Chief said as she pulled a map to show Akkey where it was on the map. “I’m about to send someone from Rhenco’s hotel to gather intel on the dungeon, but he and his mother are going to need help to get in and out of the dungeon.” 'Akkey Black: '“Oh?” she peered at the mark on the the map, figuring out its whereabouts. “Huh, never been in that area. What plans do you have in mind?” 'Grey Bergman: '“Well, I figured that,” Grey said, “and I was thinking about asking Nala to accompany you guys on the mission. Perhaps, she could give you a visual of the area, but actually,” she turned to look at Fiendal and then at Akkey, “if you guys are okay with teaming up…and Fiendal can help you…” 'Fiendal: '“we’ve made a pretty good team so far!” Fiendal remarked. He looked at the map to figure out what the plan will be. “so we’re going to this area with-''” '''The Warden'' His demon form broke through his thoughts as it’s power grew, the pause was noticeable as fiendal attempted to play it off with a bout of coughing. “sorry about that, anyway, go here with Nala. Look into some asshole’s files and promptly leave?” he looked at grey “is that about it?” 'Akkey Black: '''She glanced at him worriedly, squeezing his upper arm in comfort, before turning back to Grey, “Yeah, that sounds simple enough. I haven’t seen Nala in years, either, so it’d be great. But why someone from Rhenco’s hotel? Isn’t he dangerous? The three of us can do it ourselves.” '''Grey Bergman: '“Rhenco personally handed over these individuals to me when Brandt and I rescued Sven,” Grey replied leaning back in her chair. “They are a family he had kidnapped a long time ago, and they have different skills. These two are good at observing and gathering information, and I know you three are more than capable. But personally, I would feel better if you had individuals who could sneak into the dungeon and act as prisoners.” 'Akkey Black: '“Prisoners for the dungeon? So they’re half breeds, huh?” Akkey mused. She no longer passed as a half breed, and Fiendal definitely wouldn’t be taken in that easily, “I see where you’re going with this. What did Nala say?” 'Grey Bergman: '“I haven’t had the chance to ask her yet,” Grey replied, “but since the three of us are here, perhaps, we can track her down and discuss the plan.” 'Fiendal: '''Fiendal seemed to grow sheepish at the idea and looked at Akkey nervously. He put on a brave face and pretended he thought about it for a second. “Yes, it may be a wise option to discuss with Nala” '''Akkey Black: '''She nodded in agreement, eyeing Fiendal with concern. She would be excited to see Nala, but she wasn’t sure if he would. ''Demons. ''“Alright, so send this half breed family in as prisoners to gather intel. What do you want us to do?” '''Grey Bergman: '“Observe the dungeons from the outside,” Grey stated firmly. “Study the guards’ shift changes. Keep an eye out for any weak spots on the walls. And I will need you three to get the half-breeds, it’s a son and his mother, out when the time is right, before we set out to raid it.” 'Akkey Black: '''Things were clicking in Akkey’s mind as she mused aloud, “Mm, yeah. I can portal people in and out provided Nala can get me a good visual. You can take care of keeping an eye on everything very well, right?” she turned her head to Fiendal. '''Fiendal: 'Fiendal took in a breath and nodded to Akkey. “I shall grab you if anything seems off. The exercise should not exhaust my powers as looking for Greg did” he thought about what the mission meant and how he might have to talk to Nala. Or, more accurately, the fact that he will have to talk to her. Part 2 'Grey Bergman: '“Good, it seems like we’re all in agreement,” Grey said crossing her arms and smiling at her former comrades. “This might sound a little cold, but if you are unable to get the prisoners out, he told me that he would be able to wait until the raid happens, but I would like to use that as a last resort.” 'Akkey Black: '''She nodded, “It should be fine as long as Nala can see them. Just make sure they each have water on them so I can portal them out faster; I’m practicing a new spell right now but I don’t know if it’ll be ready on time. Better be safe than sorry.” '''Fiendal: '''Fiendal looked between Grey and Akkey “do we have to see about all the prisoners? I don’t mean to sound too harsh but from what I heard, it took you guys a lot of effort to escape.” he thought for a moment. “if it is just the half breed then we should be fine, we can get some water to them easily enough” '''Grey Bergman: '“It’s just going to be the half-breed, and I’ll send them with canteens,” Grey replied. “However, if the guards don’t take it from them, then perhaps you can find a water source in the dungeon or in the surrounding earlier?” 'Akkey Black: '“That’s a possibility,” she nodded, “It’ll take longer though. Im assuming speed is of the essence. If they can get close to said source they can get out of there faster.” 'Fiendal: '“could there be a way for us to take the water to them if need be?” He pondered aloud, he was listening to the conversation yet deep in thought. His eyes pulsed gently with a purple hue as he wondered. 'Grey Bergman: '''Grey stroked her chin in thought. This was proving to be harder than she thought. She never fully understood the extent of Akkey’s powers, and now when she needed them to work to get Opie out of the dungeon, she was learning more and more about Akkey’s powers over water. “Haligan Island has its rivers,” Grey muttered in thought as she studied the maps. “I’m trying to figure out if Castaway is near any bodies of water for you three to access.” '''Akkey Black: '“That won’t matter,” she assured her, “See, even the smallest amount will suffice. Even if their canteens can get taken away, I’ll be outside with water of my own.” “It’s the speed at which I can portal them out that will be tricky. They’d need to be beside a source that I can immediately manipulate so that they can get out quick; otherwise they’d have to wait for water to travel to where they are and I can open it then.” “It’s not an impossible task. There are plenty of unconventional ways to find and use water,” she peered at the map with her, “We would just need to hope that they’d be near enough resources so I can get them out quickly that we won’t have to leave them behind.” 'Grey Bergman: '''An idea came to her. “Did Haddock ever mention to you what it was like being inside the dungeon?” the Chief suddenly asked. Yes, the Grounded Dungeon was different from Castaway, but perhaps, if there was any sources of water inside the Grounded Dungeon, then Darien had to have built the others the exact same way. “Like…did he mention if there were any resources for the prisoners?” she added. “Because…if the Grounded Dungeon had resources for those prisoners, chances are good that Castaway will have the same thing.” '''Akkey Black: '''She tilted her head in thought. She was never imprisoned in the dungeon with the others, but she had heard stories. She squinted, trying to remember, “I think they were rationed. They had a specific schedule when food and water were delivered, so if we time it exactly to then, I can bust them out without them even having to step out of their cells.” '''Fiendal: '''Fiendal listened to the idea and turned to Akkey “I am not certain on how your powers work. Will there be enough water in the rations?” '''Akkey Black: '''She nodded, “A small amount goes a long way. It’ll be enough.” '''Grey Bergman: '“Good,” the Chief said slamming the table feeling the relief course through her body. “If you three can time the schedule for food and water exactly right, you can use the water to get Opie out of the dungeon before they even notice he’s gone, which will give us a chance to raid the dungeon.” 'Fiendal: '''He nodded. “That sounds simple enough.” he looked between Akkey and Grey, they seemed to have a plan. He could not afford to forget this. '''Akkey Black: '“Are you sure your half breeds are trustworthy, Grey?” she glanced at the excited chief, “They won’t double cross us or anything, right?” 'Grey Bergman: '''The Chief opened her mouth to answer Akkey’s question but stopped. Akkey had a valid point to question Malak and his family’s supposed loyalty. Malak and his family assured her that they would not attempt to turn against her or the Rebellion. However, could they really be trusted? She was sending three of her friends to work with two of these half-breeds, who lived under Rhenco’s reign of terror in a matter of speaking. She sighed. “They have assured me that they will be useful on missions,” she finally said after a moment. “Rhenco kidnapped them, and I don’t have any reason to believe they would try anything. However…if you three sense anything from that could indicate betrayal, you have my permission to do whatever it takes to stop them.” '''Akkey Black: '''She exhaled slowly, thinking, “It’ll do us well to have Nala possess them. It might also give her better access to see the inside of the dungeon for me. I’ll ask her what she thinks.” She squeezed her arm reassuringly, “We’ll have it covered.” '''Grey Bergman: '''Grey smiled warmly at Akkey as she placed her hand on hers squeezing it in return. “I know you will,” she said. “I’m more than confident you three can handle this.” '''Fiendal: '''Fiendal nodded, whatever it took to help, he would do. It was time for then to try something to change the bigger picture. He looked between Akkey and Grey again. “If it must be done, ''we shall do it” ''his voice changed as he spoke. But he didn’t allow it to betray him. “come, let us take action” '''Grey Bergman: '“I agree, Fiendal,” Grey said standing up. “Let’s go find Nala, and bring her up to speed. As soon as we get that taken care of, we can make the preparations and introduce you to the half-breeds you will be traveling with.”